Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 and 2.5 ReMIX is the best collection of the series thus far, and its sheer size alongside remastered aesthetics make it well worth the money.
Logic Artists' follow-up to the cult hit Expeditions: Conquistador improves on nearly everything, but is hamstrung by too many game-breaking bugs and glitches.
The Elder Scrolls: Legends digital card game gets a Skyrim-themed expansion, and it's more hits than misses that make for an enjoyable addition to the gameplay experience.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm's first episode recaptures the magic that endeared the series to fans during its first run, and we can't wait for more.
All criticisms aside, though, Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon never really pretended as though it was going to be anything different than what players have gotten with its release. It's quick and dirty, the video game equivalent of a greasy burger, and Nights of Azure 2 will leave all but the most hardcore fans of yuri tropes feeling the same kind of shame that comes after consuming fast food as well. Nights of Azure 2 isn't a bad game, but it certainly isn't a good one either—it's just empty calories, with nothing having been gained or lost after a playthrough.
Truthfully, .hack//G.U. Last Recode isn't an example of the best kind of remaster, as it hasn't completely addressed the issues that plagued its original versions in the first place. Somehow, though, those negatives seem lesser this time around, as .hack//G.U. Last Recode manages to assemble a series of games all in one place that, in retrospect, seem to have had a profound impact on pop culture—or, at least, were the prototypes for those that would. .Hack//G.U. Last Recode supplements this with some meaningful and enjoyable additional content and upgrades, and as an art piece—the kind of game that needs to be experienced for something outside of its technical prowess—it just works. .Hack//G.U. Last Recode is a JRPG history exhibit, and it's well worth the price of admission.
Having reached what amounts to the "end game" of modern Pokemon titles,it becomes clear that Ultra Moon is easily the better experience when compared to the original jaunt through Alola. Nothing becomes worse, and there are enough upgrades to side stories and the addition of some new Pokemon to the game that it is still well-worth playing, even for those who have completed Sun and Moon already.
Monolith Soft brings the massive open world of Xenoblade Chronicles to the Nintendo Switch, but can it compete with the console's titanic first-party releases this year?
When the game is at its best, however, it is an enjoyable dungeon runner that features intriguing, fun combat, and it's definitely worth playing for those who never experienced the original Tokyo Xanadu for PS Vita—just with the caveat that players will need to stomach a lot of flavorless JRPG tropes to get to what makes Tokyo Xanadu eX+ tasty enough to merit its forty-hour-long runtime.
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As it stands, though, Dynasty Warriors 9 is more of a foundation for the next title than the dawning of a new era for the franchise. That's perfectly acceptable, too, given that series like Dynasty Warriors inevitably must evolve to stay relevant. Right now, there are just some growing pains, and anyone who was interested in the newest iteration because of its new gameplay features would do better waiting for the next one instead.
Secret of Mana is an entirely skippable remake of a game that was the progenitor for a number of JRPG conventions. That's a shame. The greater failing, however, is what happens when fans will inevitably pick this title up in the hopes of recapturing some of the feelings of grandeur the original game contained so much of. They, like me, might end up realizing that a game they had placed on a pedestal for decades is actually rather ordinary by today's standards, and any magic that made it a lasting impression on those who played it has long since been left behind by the cruel, inexorable march of time.
Excepting its online shortcomings, however, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet is easily the best game using the license yet. Everything feels more polished, and though the game's setting sacrifices the bright colors and exciting worlds that have been the saving graces of past titles, the gameplay and structure more than make up for it. Fans will enjoy the unique story and major character appearances, and those new to the world of SAO will inevitably find themselves losing hours to the grind without realizing it before late-game fatigue finally begins to set in. In that regard, Fatal Bullet does something that no other title in the series has done—making a game about a show about a video game finally, inexplicably, a decent game after all.
Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings knows what it wants to be, and for the most part, it delivers. Those looking for style and substance will only find the former in abundance, but there's just enough of the latter to keep Lydie and Suelle's adventure interesting enough to explore deeper. Just don't expect to become too invested in any of the game's story or characters. For a world that's built on the notion that the sum can be greater than the whole of its parts, Atelier Lydie & Suelle never becomes more than its addictive gameplay and two-dimensional protagonists, for better or for worse.
While these things keep the game from being perfect, however, they don't stop it from being great. Owlboy is a must-play platformer for fans of the genre and of gaming's history in general. It's also a truly wonderful revelation on the PS4, feeling right at home on the console in a way that made me briefly forget at times that the game was a port. Come for the charming art or the offer of some quick hits of nostalgia, but stay for the sublime storytelling and fluid gameplay.
From an accessibility standpoint, however, HIVE: Altenum Wars does little to make the player feel welcome, and even less still to reward their perseverance in staying. It feels very much like an alpha gameplay demo for a game years down the pipeline. HIVE is a shooter that misses the mark almost entirely, but does, at the very least, provide a very solid foundation upon which Catness Games could build something truly special with more time spent iterating and refining the process.
Tacoma‘s simple premise expands into something much larger, and it invites each of us to examine what it means to be human, and how we might pretend to be if we can't actually achieve that. There's a game there, underneath the questions it's asking, and it's a wonderful, technologically sound port. I'm not sure what else needs to be said about the achievement of Tacoma, because so many smart people have already discussed it at length when it was released on PC in 2017. All I can say is that is has aged well, attacks concepts like human will and capitalism on angles that seem fresh in 2018, and remains a must play for those willing to set aside a few hours of their time to experience some very fine, challenging work within the video game medium.
Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is probably a safe pick up for diehard fans, a gamble for those with a little bit of familiarity like myself, and a dangerous choice for anyone outside of those two categories. For a title based on a world filled with magic, the game itself has very little of it to be found.
Ultimately, New Gundam Breaker does little to continue the good faith the past few Gundam games have worked so hard to garner. It's a charming game at times, and its characters are refreshingly simple. That's not enough to save it from itself, though, and the gameplay is well below what a game based entirely on building and piloting a Gundam should be. Hardcore fans will likely want to pick this one up simply because it has Gundam in the name, but for anyone else, this one should probably be avoided.
Despite those hiccups, however, The Banner Saga 3 is good. Really good. Anyone who has played the first two will undoubtedly be picking this game up anyways, but for those who are unfamiliar with the series and curious as to how it all ends: do yourself a favor and pick up the trilogy whenever you get a chance. It's not often that games are made with the kind of style and substance that The Banner Saga 3 has been, and, much like a good book, it's nearly impossible to put down until it all comes to a close, where, inevitably, you'll feel like a small piece of you was left with it in exchange for something new, the way all great stories make us feel.